Blackout (Australian TV show)

Last updated

Blackout was an Australian current affairs program aimed at an Indigenous that aired on ABC Television from 1989 to 1995. It varied in style, content, frequency, and length over the years. [1]

The show addressed primarily the interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people community, [2] and was made by Indigenous Australians and [3] produced by ABC-TV's Aboriginal unit [4] from 1989 to 1994. Presenters included Malcolm Cole, [5] Lillian Crombie, John Harding, [6] Kylie Belling, Daryl Sibosado, Llew Cleaver, [7] Clayton Lewis, [8] Aaron Pedersen, [9] and Michelle Tuahine. [10]

The first four seasons aired weekly and focused mainly on current events affecting Aboriginal people, described by Canberra Times reporter as "a pretty heavy series" which was aired in "an inaccessible timeslot". [11] The first series was launched on Friday 12 May 1989 at 10:40pm. The series of six programs was presented by Lillian Crombie, John Harding, and Malcolm Cole, and focused on controversial Aboriginal issues, as well as featuring music. [6] The second series, comprising six shows, aired from Thursday 21 December 1989 at 8 pm. [12] The program director was Aboriginal producer, director, writer, and actor Lorraine Mafi Williams, a veteran of the film industry since 1973, who had worked on films such as The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith , The Last Wave , and The Fringe Dwellers . [13]

On 24 January 1991 (two days before Australia Day), Blackout screened a special program to commemorate the original concert that led to the compilation album Building Bridges . With live music simulcast on Triple J featuring Midnight Oil, Yothu Yindi, Archie Roach, Mixed Relations, all-female band Mirror Mirror, Kev Carmody, and Crowded House, the special also included band members and members of the audience talking about the future of black/white relations in Australia. The program was produced by ABC TV in co-operation with the Building Bridges Association Inc. [14]

The 5th series, which aired from 8 December 1992, aired three times a week at 10:40pm, and was geared towards a wider audience. It featured music, comedy and a lifestyle magazine on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and continued the weekly documentary on Wednesdays. was featured, and a sketch comedy called "The Land of the Oppressed White People". [11] Its run was extended from six programs to 21, presented by radio announcer Clayton Lewis, and the new format allowed more Aboriginal directors, performers, and artists to showcase their work. Musicians such as Archie Roach, Mixed Relations, Bush Dokta, The Tiddas, Jimmy Little, and Kev Carmody were featured in this series. [15]

The 6th series began airing in November 1993, in a new hour-long format was hosted and produced by Aaron Pedersen and Michelle Tuahine. Tuahine interviewed African American singing star Eartha Kitt in the first episode, and the Tiddas performed their new single, "Waiting". [16]

The 7th series commenced on Tuesday 22 November 1994 on ABC TV, comprising 12 weekly half-hour episodes aired at the prime time of 9.30 pm. Three new reporters joined the team: Brisbane Broncos rugby league player, Wendell Sailor, reporting from Sydney and Brisbane; Michelle White, in Perth; and reporter/producer Barbara McCarthy-Grogan, formerly with ABC News Darwin. Each episode covered a number of themes, such as spirituality, family, culture, law, reconciliation, and love. Pedersen interviewed Neville Bonner in this series, while Sailor interviewed "new Aboriginal singing sensation" Leah Purcell, as well as athlete Cathy Freeman. The music segment continued, as well as "Face the Facts", presented by Michael Watson. [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanie Shanahan</span> Musical artist

Melanie Therese Shanahan was an Australian world-folk singer-songwriter, choir director and vocal coach. She was a member of the groups, Arramaieda (1987–95) and Akasa (1998–2002). She also collaborated with Coco's Lunch and Safara. Shanahan had mental health problems from the 1990s, and she died from suicide at the age of 39.

TAFE NSW is an Australian vocational education and training provider. Annually, the network trains over 500,000 students in campus, workplace, online, or distance education methods of education. It was established as an independent statutory body under the TAFE Commission Act 1990. The Minister for Regional Development, Skills and Small Business is responsible for TAFE NSW.

Tiddas were an all-female folk trio from Victoria, Australia.

Kevin Daniel Carmody, better known by his stage name Kev Carmody, is an Aboriginal Australian singer-songwriter and musician, a Murri man from northern Queensland. He is best known for the song "From Little Things Big Things Grow", which was recorded with co-writer Paul Kelly for their 1993 single. It was covered by the Get Up Mob in 2008 and peaked at number four on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) singles charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">From Little Things Big Things Grow</span> 1993 song by Paul Kelly & The Messengers

"From Little Things Big Things Grow" is a protest song recorded by Australian artists Paul Kelly & The Messengers on their 1991 album Comedy, and by Kev Carmody on his 1993 album Bloodlines. It was released as a CD single by Carmody and Kelly in 1993 but failed to chart. The song was co-written by Kelly and Carmody, and is based on the story of the Gurindji strike and Vincent Lingiari as part of the Indigenous people's struggle for land rights in Australia and reconciliation.

The NAISDA Dance College is a performing arts training college based in Kariong, New South Wales for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. It was established as the Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Scheme (AISDS) in 1975, which became the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) in 1988. The date of establishment of the college is usually cited as 1976, although some sources report it as 1975.

ABC Television is the general name for the national television services of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Until an organisational restructure in 2017/2018, ABC Television was also the name of a division of the ABC. The name was also used to refer to the first and for many years the only national ABC channel, before it was renamed ABC1 and then again to ABC TV.

Heartland, known as Burned Bridge in some countries, is an Australian television drama series that ran on ABC Television in 1994. It ran for 13 episodes and starred Cate Blanchett and Ernie Dingo, as well as a large number of Aboriginal Australian actors.

The 2007 Deadly Awards took place at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Featured guests included many people associated with the 1967 Referendum. Guest performances included Jessica Mauboy, Casey Donovan, Lou Bennett, Michael Tuahine and Kutcha Edwards, and several South Sydney Rabbitohs. The awards were an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community.

Buried Country is the name of a documentary film, book, and soundtrack album released in 2000, and a stage show which toured from 2016 to 2018. A prosopography created by Clinton Walker, it tells the story of Australian country music in the Aboriginal community by focussing on the genre's most important stars.

Djaambi were an urban rock band formed in 1989 by Richard Frankland (ex-Interaction) on lead vocals and saxophone, with both Aboriginal and white members. Initially a ten-piece, they had a variable line-up and sometimes had 15 performers. The word, djaambi, is "brother" in an Aboriginal language. The group released a self-titled album in 1990 and supported Prince on his Australian Tour in 1992.

Rachael Zoa Maza is an Indigenous Australian television and film actress and stage director.

<i>Building Bridges</i> (1989 album) 1989 studio album by Various

Building Bridges is an Australian compilation album containing tracks from both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal performers, inspired by a 1988 community concert called Building Bridges. The concert was held in Australia's Bicentennial year, which included many Aboriginal protests.

<i>The Purple Jacaranda</i> Television series

The Purple Jacaranda was an Australian television mini-series which aired on ABC in 1964 based on a novel by Nancy Graham. Cast included James Condon, Margo Lee, Ronald Morse, Diana Perryman, Walter Sullivan and John Unicomb.

Blood Brothers is a 1993 four-part Australian documentary film series that tells the stories of three different Aboriginal Australian men, and an Aboriginal ceremony.

The 1996 Deadly Awards were hosted by Rhoda Roberts at the Metro Theatre in Sydney on 1 October 1996. Presenters included Nicky Winmar, Toni Janke, Warren Fahey and Triple J's Chris Thompson. The awards were an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community.

<i>Our Home, Our Land</i> 1995 compilation album

Our Home, Our Land is a compilation album released in Australia by CAAMA in 1995. It was released to celebrate the victory in the Mabo case. It focused on the importance of land to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander beliefs. It was nominated for a 1996 ARIA Award for Best Indigenous Release.

Elaine Crombie is an Aboriginal Australian actress, known for her work on stage and television. She is also a singer, songwriter, comedian, writer and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lillian Crombie</span> Indigenous Australian actress (1958–2024)

Lillian Crombie, also known as "Aunty Lillian", was an Aboriginal Australian actress and dancer, known for her work on stage, film and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brenda Gifford</span> Australian composer and musician

Brenda Gifford is a Yuin classical composer, saxophonist and pianist. She was a member of the Australian rock band Mixed Relations and is an archivist in the Indigenous Collection Branch of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA).

References

  1. ↑ Date, Margot (4 August 1993), "Black in focus", The Sydney Morning Herald
  2. ↑ Danielson, Shane (7 December 1992), "Koori vision", Tribune
  3. ↑ Date, Margot (19 July 1993), "Blackout visits the red, white and blue", The Sydney Morning Herald
  4. ↑ Mangan, John (27 December 1990), "Series returns with more subtle approach", The Age
  5. ↑ Warneke, Ross (11 May 1989), "Aboriginal issues No. 2", The Age
  6. 1 2 "ABC TV". Tribune . No. 2559. New South Wales, Australia. 10 May 1989. p. 10. Retrieved 1 February 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  7. ↑ "Blackout. Series 1", ABC News, 1999
  8. ↑ Brady, Nicole (25 November 1993), "Blackout issues showcased", The Age
  9. ↑ Knox, David (13 August 2021). "Friday Flashback: Aaron Pedersen hosts Blackout". TV Tonight. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  10. ↑ Tuohy, Wendy (25 November 1993), "'Blackout', fresh views of Aboriginal society in focus", The Age
  11. 1 2 "BLACKOUT". The Canberra Times . Vol. 67, no. 21, 057. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 7 December 1992. p. 27. Retrieved 1 February 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  12. ↑ "Bill Board". Tribune . No. 2590. New South Wales, Australia. 13 December 1989. p. 22. Retrieved 1 February 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  13. ↑ "Magazine: Entertainment". The Canberra Times . Vol. 64, no. 17, 779. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 3 December 1989. p. 25. Retrieved 1 February 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  14. ↑ "Blackout". The Canberra Times . Vol. 65, no. 20, 372. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 21 January 1991. p. 24. Retrieved 1 February 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  15. ↑ "ABC Highlight of the Week: Blackout". Torres News . No. 8. Queensland, Australia. 4 December 1992. p. 1 (TV Entertainment Guide). Retrieved 1 February 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  16. ↑ "BLACKOUT". Torres News . No. 58. Queensland, Australia. 19 November 1993. p. 1 (TV Entertainment Guide). Retrieved 1 February 2024– via National Library of Australia.
  17. ↑ "BLACKOUT". Torres News . No. 110. Queensland, Australia. 18 November 1994. p. 1 (TV Entertainment Guide). Retrieved 1 February 2024– via National Library of Australia.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.